Using Databases to Find Articles

A database is a collection of organized data that can be used to quickly retrieve information. Most databases owned by the University Libraries are electronic periodical indexes of citations, abstracts, or full-text periodical articles from thousands of magazines, journals, newspapers, historical documents, or other literary works.

The University Libraries subscribe to over 200 databases and electronic information products. Several of the most frequently used general databases are LexisNexis Academic, ABI/Inform Global , and EBSCOhost MasterFILE Premier. These databases contain some full-text articles or citations to articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers. However, these are only a handful of the databases you have access to through the University Libraries. To identify a database in your field of study go to the UB Libraries Resources by Subject page where you can find subject-specific databases recommended by UB librarians.

Example of a Database Search

When using periodical databases you will notice they have different interfaces. However, most databases possess common basic search characteristics.

The first step to using any UB database is to choose the one that suits your needs using either Databases by Title or Resources by Subject. EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier is used as an example.

Clicking on the database link takes you to the database main menu and search screen . All databases have a main menu and a query box where you type in keywords and search terms. Another common characteristic of databases are the various options that let you "limit" your search. Common limiting features include:

Limit by date Limit to a particular journal Limit by title of article Limit by author(s) of article Limit to peer-reviewed or scholarly journals